Customer Reviews

Caillou Ready for School (PC & Mac)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Don't be fooled by the hype and fancy box. This software is poorly designed and not appropriate for use by young children who cannot already read, which defeats its purpose.

1. Each disk must be installed separately, and the 4 desktop icons are identical so a child cannot tell which corresponds to which CD. The CDs also lack useful graphics to differentiate them to a non-reader.

2. Starting the game requires reading (for language selection and saved game retrieval). My 2 1/2 year old daughter has no problems starting and running her other software (Disney Preschool, etc.). She is helpless to even start this program on her own.

3. Games are low-budget, shareware-type activities and are repetitive from one disk to another and even within a disk, with only the imagery and sprites swapped out. I can't fathom why it takes 5 disks to deliver this material, unless the audio files to say "good job" in 3 languages take an unbelievable amount of disk space.

4. The number drop game is frustrating to impossible for a small child to master because the "catch" area is too large.

5. Even the warranty card is faulty, offering a period of "ninety (30)" [sic] days.

PBS and iParenting should be ashamed to be endorsing this product. I would return it if I could. Don't subject your child to this rubbish.

My wife and I like this video.
It is one of the better ones for developing a young mind.
There are many aspects of development and this explores some that others do not.
Prett good quality and even runs okay on our older PC (P3-550mhz).
Our [...] boy likes it a lot also and as it runs okay we do too.
I would highly recommend this as part of your activities.
Others are 'Your baby can read' 'The Brainy baby series' 'Baby Einstein' and 'Leapfrog DVD's'.

The game wont install on a Mac running OSX... Therefore, its not true that the game is Mac compatible.

I bought this for my son when he was 2. He has progressed with it all the way. He is now 3 and can operate the whole set of softwre himself. He loves the shapes disc.

This software capitalizes on the popularity of "Caillou" with a basic product.

This game works better on a PC; on a Mac it's difficult to install and quits unexpectedly.

For preschoolers who enjoy playing computer games, this game might be very basic.
I would say it's for ages 2 to a young 3 yr old, but ironically that age may have trouble navigating through the game. The game pages are very basic and repetitious (e.g., the same picture is uncovered over and over; games repeat themselves which kids might quickly find boring).

Even on our PC we found the game to run fairly slow. All in all, there's much better software out there.

I'm a preschool teacher (ages 3-5). I use the program(s) in my classroom and at home with my son (who is almost 4 years). This set isn't fancy or super high tech but it is a great learning set for children who are just learning to use a computer. The games focus on basic educational concepts and they are easy for preschoolers to navigate independently. These games can be used by both both my english and spanish speaking students (multiple language capabilities). Best of all, the students enjoy the games. What a value!

Please do not hesitate to buy this software, it is not fancy or catchy but with parents help is one of the best one in the market for this price, my three and seven months son is truly learning and having fun at the same time.

We purchased this for our [...] daughter. She loves playing the games in different languages too. She has already learned to read as a result of using this software. She can now point and click faster than me. If you want your child to learn I would recommend this software!

Let me begin by saying that my 3.5 year old daughter is familiar with Caillou and that she is devoted to his show on PBS. In addition, she is familiar with the mechanics of the computer, though even for a child she is something of a novice when it comes to computer games. That said, this game was a moderate success insofar as it somewhat held her attention and engaged her. Some of the games were a little advanced, even with my coaching. This is definitely a game that requires a large investment of parental time and interaction, at least at first. After about three weeks, though, she is not very enthused by the game and given the choice she would often rather play free games on [...]. I think that this game is good for reinforcing some basic skills like colors and shapes, but in regards to more advanced concepts like numbers it fails to really connect. Ultimately, it kept her busy, but I'm not sure that it really heightened her knowledge of the concepts that it advertises.

I was very pleased with this product,the price was amazing for over 100 different activities.Shipment was fast.